Smith sees good things in new UW hoops coach Allen Edwards

LARAMIE - The first thing Allen Edwards did when he was introduced as the University of Wyoming's 21st men's basketball coach Monday was thank the people who helped make that possible.

Edwards, 40, started with family and friends. He then thanked the man he is replacing, Larry Shyatt, the man who brought him to UW five years ago as an assistant.

Edwards also thanked many of the former coaches he played and worked for since he first picked up a basketball as an 8-year-old in Miami.

One of those coaches was Tubby Smith, who Edwards played one year for and won a national championship at the University of Kentucky in 1998. Edwards later joined Smith's staff as an assistant from 2002-03.

"He's always been a mentor to me," Edwards said of Smith. "He showed me a lot as a player and being on his staff, and he's taught me a lot through this process."

Smith, 64, led Kentucky to the 1998 national championship. Edwards was a senior and captain on that team. Smith has been a head coach for five different schools, and is currently the coach at Texas Tech.

"As a player, Allen was a true defensive stopper," Smith said. "He had the offensive skills, but was like a Kawhi Leonard who plays for the San Antonio Spurs.

"Allen was very unassuming in his demeanor, and I knew he would be a great coach because he studied the game. He was always in-tune with the scouting report and didn't make mistakes whether it was in practice or in games.

"We've been able to stay in touch, and he has talked to me in-depth about defensive principles and philosophy. I'm really happy that Allen has been named the head coach at Wyoming. They are getting a great person and a great family. I know he'll do a magnificent job there."

Defense was an emphasis the last five years with Shyatt at UW. Edwards said it will continue to be, but perhaps with "more calculated risks. A little more pressure. A little more trapping. Try to have a little more tempo."

Philosophies aside, one thing that stood out to Smith about Edwards - as a player and assistant coach - had nothing to do with the Xs and Os of the game.

"One of the things that Allen has honed in on over the years is his leadership," Smith said. "I've noticed some of the trails and tribulations he has gone through has built him into the man he is today.

"Allen is a man of principle, a man of character and a man of integrity. You can take it to the bank that he will do things the right way to lead the Cowboy program."

UW is Edwards' first chance to be a college head coach. However, he was a candidate to become the head coach at Northern Kentucky last year. And, he filled in for Shyatt (illness) in the 2013-14 season at Air Force and guided UW to a 66-59 victory.

Now, Edwards takes over a program all his own. He brings with him 14 years of being a college assistant, and two national championships as a player at Kentucky.

Along with Smith and Shyatt, Edwards has been coached by or worked with other big names in the basketball coaching circles such as Rick Pitino (current Louisville coach who coached Edwards at Kentucky), Frank Vogel (current Indiana Pacers coach who was at Kentucky staff when Edwards was there), Frank Martin (current South Carolina coach who coached Edwards as an 11-year-old player) and Anthony Grant (Edwards was an assistant for Grant at Virginia Commonwealth).

There are more, and you can bet Edwards will lean on them as he begins his journey as a head coach.

"As I tell most young head coaches, make sure that you have your system and be yourself," Smith said. "You have to develop your own style, your own image and your own brand. That's critical because you have to deliver your message to fans, administration and players. Those are the things that Allen and I have discussed in the past.

"You want to make sure you surround yourself with the right staff that have goals and ideas that are similar to yours. It's important to have that type of continuity inside your program, that way everyone is hearing the same message."